A Deeper View of Jen: Keeping the Torch Lit

Written by: Dani “Elizah” Lacasse & contributions from various noted authors 

Edited by: Kieran/Kyra “Omri” Barry

Oftentimes it’s easy to consume content that’s placed in front of us without really thinking about all the behind the scenes work that has gone into creating the masterpieces. From brainstorming to execution, the amount of time and effort that goes into upkeeping a publication like the View is undeniable. Someone who would understand this best is someone like Jennifer DeNardis-Rosa who has played her character Dame Areni Stromgate in the Realms since 2004. 

Photo provided by Jason Rosa 

Now while we don't get to see Areni nearly enough at events, oftentimes Jen can be found contributing on the back end of events, from lead up prep, kitchen help, serving, and so much more. But, her dedication to the game goes far beyond the physical sphere. She joined the View of Valehaven team a decade ago in 2014, eagerly contributing to articles like our beloved “What you Missed” and the various titled versions of  “Questions of the Week” series, all while spearheading others like; “10 questions with an EH”, “Belts of the Eternal Flame” and “Views in the View” to name just a few. She steadily upheld this until the time came that the torch was passed off by former Editor in Chief Angie Gray 2014. 

“It can be easy to overlook Jennifer Rosa. She is soft spoken, thoughtful, and very polite all traits that can be associated with meekness. Working closely with her I learned that beneath the exterior is someone who works hard without a need for recognition, is incredibly ethical, and when necessary will dig in and stand up for her beliefs. 

Working with Jen was one of the things I missed most about working on the View. She was a great teammate who brought us staff Santa hats, made us laugh (if you haven't had a chance to interact  with her to see it she has a great sense of humor under that quiet exterior), and was often the person to notice and support others when they were feeling challenged, and make sure our successes were celebrated.” -Angela “Phoenix” Gray  

After taking on the Chief Editor position for the View in 2016, Jen has continued to be the silent force behind the publications ongoing success. Writing, creating and reaching out to others to partake, became second nature to her. Diligently working through the "dark years" without a fuss, Jen has continued to exhibit her impeccable work ethic and absolute commitment to our Realms community.

Truth be told, I see a lot of myself in Jen and one day, I can only hope to leave as great an impact on the community as she has. Her shoes are some big ones to fill, and I am honored to be part of the three who will step into those to ensure the torch continues to shine bright for those that will come after us. Jen, thank you for all that you have done and will continue to do, the torch is in good hands. 

And I'm not alone with my feelings about the legacy she's created for herself. When asking the community “How has the View positively impacted your time in the Realms?”, measuring how Jen has affected the Realms via this singular aspect, we got several responses.

Photo provided by Jason Rosa

Keith “Saegan” Cronyn

“People often see me as a sort of a quiet person, when in face to face meetings, and I think that the articles I put forth on the view over my tenure really enabled the community to see my personality a bit more, and understand my voice, rather than just a fighter.”

Lani "Gwen" Jones

"As a viewer, the content that the View from Valehaven provided me with a connection to other members of our community. I loved reading people’s interviews and getting to know more about them in and out of character. I also fondly remember advice articles and blasts from the past from community members who had a specific niche or story to tell. Once I was contributing, I frequently wrote “Why I Want to Go” pieces, and I really loved the opportunity to dig into event descriptions, talk to EHs, and highlight the diverse and wonderful nature of Realms event-holding.

Why I loved working with Jen:

Jen is one of the kindest and most dedicated people I know. She did such a great job of brainstorming new content ideas with the team regularly and she always made sure we had content planned so that the View could be a staple that the Realms community could count on daily. Jen put an incredible amount of thought into the view and its contributors. She always made sure that content contributors saw their work in a timely manner, and that diverse perspectives were represented in our articles. A lot of the things that make the View great are the behind-the-scenes attention to detail, and I think that the imprint that Jen left on this chapter of the View from Valehaven will have a lasting impact on the publication and the community."

Ethan “Jean Baptise” Goldman

“One of my first communications with the realms was through suggesting how the View could better link its articles. In many ways the view is the main avenue people figure out I do anything that isn't inherently comedic. Even though I just post cartoons.”

Kieran/Kyra “Omri” Barry

“I was asked to write my first piece for the View about why I wanted to go to “Tales of a Teatotaler”, an event my friends were throwing. I was honored to be asked, and it ended up being the first of many articles I’ve written for the View since then. The great thing about the view is that anyone can write for it. While I haven’t talked with Jen, seeing how consistent the View is, even through the ‘Quiet Years’, is amazing. And this has provided an outlet for me when I had to step back from writing responsibilities in other parts of my life, allowing me to keep doing what I love when I thought I would have to be done when I graduate.”

Pat "Saka" Bobell

“The View has been a fantastic way for me to learn more about people in the Realms and their creative endeavors. The various interview series, spotlights on writing, crafting, and photography, and Happenings on the Emerald Path have been outstanding for highlighting folks and the varied contributions we all make to the community.”

Nataliya “Shader” Kostenko

“The View is, much like Jen/Areni herself, what one might call a hidden gem–or an unsung hero–of the Realms community at large. It takes time, dedication, and a labor of overwhelming love to create engaging, community-oriented content week in and week out. And it’s not a flashy kind of labor either–it’s not leading an army onto the battlefield, delivering a dramatic speech, or even getting your name onto the EH list. It’s making sure people have something Realms-related to read as they sit down to breakfast. It’s sparking a lively discussion in the Realms discord server. It’s dropping the dankest of memes. It’s curating valuable information about our community–about our events and about one another. And I think it’s easy to undervalue that, to overlook how meaningful it really is. But in times of hardship–whether that be a huge, isolating pandemic or just a week during which you’re feeling down and disconnected–it’s something you can reliably turn to for an immediate sense of connection, community, and friendship. That’s who Jen is too, in my experience. Someone who always offers everyone–the newest newbie and the grouchiest oldbie–a kind, listening ear and an effortless sense of belonging.”

Ryan “Orion” Welch

“Jen has been a cornerstone of the community for many years. In my time working for her at the View, she supported me as I revived the monthly rumors and encouraged me to branch out into other writing topics, often pushing me to expand the boundaries of my knowledge and comfort.

Jen is also extremely persistent. Early on, she declared that the View would continue to publish a new article every weekday, even when we didn't have in-person events to write about. It was her "damn the torpedoes!" moment, and she challenged the whole team to come up with a lot of innovative content. And we did it!

I believe that the View would not have survived the dark times without Jen's leadership. Her vision has shaped the institution into what it is today.”

Dustin “Toah” Mack

“The View helps keep the game going between events, whether it’s just a weekday or winter. It gives players a way to share things they couldn’t easily at events, and event holders a way to promote and enhance their events. It’s a way for the game’s past to stay alive and recent events to be shared with those that couldn’t be there.

A few years ago Jen messaged me asking if I’d want to be an official photographer for The View. I had questions on the specifics and she helped me understand what would be expected. Once I accepted, she worked with me to make sure my posts were up to the standards of the site. She walked me through how to add pictures and answered all my questions along the way. Jen was definitely a huge help in enhancing my contributions to the Realms.”

Jason “Aeston” Rosa

“I’ve watched firsthand how Jen has grown and shaped the View over the greater part of a decade. When Angie Gray was ready to retire from being the Editor in Chief and pass it off to Jen, she had already distinguished herself as someone who gave her all to making the publication successful. In the following years I watched her gather and lead a dedicated staff, put countless hours into crafting articles and features, and just generally do her best to make sure her years as the new “boss lady” (as she used to call Angie) were worthy ones.

The View is a storied publication. It has spanned close to the entirety of the Realms’ existence, from a time when it was printed with dot matrix printers all the way to its current online form. It’s had many chief editors and countless contributors and I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that part of the soul of our community is nestled into its pages, whether they be paper or virtual. Jen, congratulations on joining a historic cast of emeritus editors that have made the View from Valehaven great. I love you.” 

Photo provided by Jason Rosa

 

Passing the Torch: Chief Editor Turnover

Over the last few months, the View crew has opened up to allow a group of new folks to see what it would be like to work as editors for the beloved publication. Jason “Aeston” made clear that there was some intention that this might result in a turnover of editorial positions, specifically the chief editor position. Recently he made an announcement:

“We’ve been working together as a group for the last couple months and I feel like this crew is ready to take over the View without my hand-holding.

I’d like to create a triumvirate with the chief editor position. These three people represent diverse areas within the Realms and I think will work well together bouncing off one another and supporting one another. I’d like Dani “Elizah”, Ethan “Jean C'est Magnifique Try Baptise”, and Kieran/Kyra “Omri”  to be the three in charge of the whole deal.”

We will be working together to provide the content you all love and follow in the footsteps of Jen “Areni” as chief editor of the View from Valehaven.

We are still determining who’s taking on the role of editor and who will be staying on with us as editor.

We are grateful to this community and to the View from Valehaven for this opportunity.

View Retrospective - Event Reviews

This editorial ran in the View on Friday, October 21, 2016

From the Editor's Desk: On the Subject of Event Reviews

From the desk of Jennifer DeNardis-Rosa (Areni):

One of the most important aspects of our game is how players interact with events - after all, the game only exists because people throw events in the first place. Without events, what would we have to occupy our weekends? Laundry? No thanks!

When throwing an event, our hope is always that the players who show up are able to engage with the story, mechanics, puzzles, and overall content for the full duration of the event and that by doing so they are able to enjoy themselves and have a fun day. Beyond that, we hope that those players would be open to coming to more events from that particular team because they genuinely were entertained and impressed. It would stand to reason then: if there was a way to make all events more enjoyable then more people would want to go to them and it would have a large positive impact on the game as a whole.

Isn’t it lucky that such a method already exists?

While throwing and attending events is what makes our game exist, something that has the potential to make every event as good as possible exists alongside them. That something is feedback.

Feedback can take many forms, but the most common and most easily accessible is the event review. Event-holding teams don't want to throw events that players won't or didn't like, or that people don't or won't want to go to in the future. That’s the main reason that feedback is so important. An event review is a critical tool for EHs as it allows them an important window to how players felt about the story, mechanics, food - every aspect of the event that they interacted with. Reading event reviews and altering future events because of them is vital to EH teams improving upon their past work, and raising the level of all events throughout the game.

Yet as important as reviews are, taking a look at the event archive on RealmsNET, one can see that some events get a handful of reviews while some get very few; some even get none at all.

Let's explore some possible barriers to leaving event reviews/ feedback.


1) "I don't want the EH to get upset with me if I say that I didn't like something about the event."

Don't think of feedback or reviews in terms of good or bad. If there was an aspect to the event that you did not like or enjoy, or that you thought could have been done better, you should be honest about it - the event staff would much rather that you said something so that they could take it under consideration for the next time they throw an event. EHs want to know what the players did and did not enjoy. But while you are being honest, you must also remember to be considerate. Think in terms of constructive criticism, rather than negative feedback, and make sure that your words are kind. Think about how you would want to be told, if it was your event, and go from there. If you really can’t bring yourself to say anything negative, then its okay to just highlight the positive things that you did enjoy and that were done well. That way the EH is more likely to include those aspects in the future.


2) "The event was fine, I liked it, I really don't have much more to say."

If you had an overall good time at an event, or really liked a certain aspect or mechanic that the EH/ staff was using, then tell them! People want to hear when they are doing well, too! EHs and staff often put a lot of time, money, and thought into planning, prepping for, and throwing their events, and it is gratifying to hear that people enjoyed those efforts. Sometimes, the absence of feedback can be misconstrued or misinterpreted as negative feedback where none was actually intended, or mistaken for general ambivalence on the part of the players. "Well, no one said anything, so they must not have liked it." That is why feedback and event reviews are so important, even if you only write a few lines saying something such as: "I liked this event, and the widget puzzle was really cool." It can give the EH/ event staff the boost they might need to consider throwing an event again, and helps them to feel that their efforts were appreciated. If no feedback or reviews are received, whether positive or constructive, they may not be willing to try again - especially newer EH/ staff groups. (It is important to note here that the opposite can also be true - lack of feedback can also be taken as a sign that people liked the content that was provided to them. But wouldn't it be better to know for certain?)


3) “I’ll give feedback if they ask in person but I really don’t like to offer unwelcome advice.”

Thank you for being well intentioned to give feedback when asked, but please remember that in the wake of an event it can be hard for an EH team to go back to every person who played and solicit their feedback. The event review system is there so they don’t have to. Think of the review system as a preemptive “asking for feedback” that every event holder does every time they throw an event. Advice is always welcome. When people throw an event they are doing it for you. They are doing it to give back to the game and make their players happy. They want to know if you were happy because that was their goal in the first place.

So what can you do? We have all been guilty of meaning to write a review but never quite getting around to it. Here’s a simple solution - set a small goal and build from there. Make a resolution to review the next event that you attend, and stick to it. When that’s done, set another goal - review every other event you attend, maybe. That way you don’t feel pressured to write something for every single event you attend, but you’ll still be able to contribute what you can to some of them.

A lot of event reviews are written as long narrative paragraphs explaining whole sections of an event. Sometimes when players look at those and the obvious time put into crafting them, it’s easy to think that you just don’t have that much time. That’s okay. Writing something short and to the point is also a perfectly good event review format. Some players have taken to making a pro-con list, short and to the point. That’s a great format too. But if you’re really having trouble getting started, copy and paste the sentence starters below into your review and just complete as many of them as you feel you are able to. It’s okay if you don’t write a lot, just make sure your voice is heard!

One aspect of this event that I really enjoyed was:

One thing at this event that I would like to see back next year is:

The part of the event when I felt most engaged was:

One aspect of this event that was very innovative was:

One thing that might be considered for revision for next year is:

And that’s all there is to it! Four or five sentences and you are done. It will only take you a few moments and the impact on future events from that team will be immesureable.

Again, always make sure to think in terms of constructive criticism rather than negative feedback, and always try to include suggestions for improvement if you have any. Always try to balance constructive criticism with positive statements as well. If there were certain things you really liked, make a point of mentioning them. Try to be as specific as you can, but even if you just make general statements regarding the event, it’s better for EH/staff to hear from players than not. Event reviews benefit everyone in the game, not just the event staff they are directed towards - by encouraging/ making suggestions and acknowledging the time and effort put in by EH groups, they help us to continually strive for improvement in our events which in turn can help elevate the content and quality of events, and therefore the game itself. 

So what are you waiting for? Review the next event you attend!

Rambling from a Second Rate Magic Marshal

From the Editor's Desk - Welcome to View Staff!

The View staff would like to welcome three new editors - Renee Booke, Ryan Welch, and Hannah Blood-  to our ranks!

Renee "Kindrianna" Booke

A talented writer, Renee has made her mark on the View as a contributor through her regular submissions of poetry and fiction. Always well-received, her pieces bring a creative and dramatic touch to the body of View content and are a refreshing change of pace from our regular features. Hailing from a prominent nation of role-players and questers, Renee will bring a unique voice to the staff and we are excited to work with her.

Photo by Casey Lemay

Ryan "Orion" Welch

As a regular contributor to our "What You Missed" series, Ryan has demonstrated his talent for writing and attention to detail time and again in the quality of his work. Descriptive and complete, his pieces are always a good read. His gathering and self-publishing of monthly rumors is a great initiative and important service to the community. As an active quester and member of a storied nation, Ryan brings his own perspective to the staff and we are eager to see him grow in his new role.

Photo by Dave Harvill

Hannah "Nhadala" Blood

Having contributed a variety of submissions over the years, Hannah has consistently demonstrated her ability to produce well-thought out and well-written work that time and again proves to be popular with all of our readers. As someone possessed of a strong voice, we look forward to her perspective in our regular features such as "Ask the Editor" and we look forward to the many other ways her ideas and initiative will add to the View.

Photo by Casey Lemay

The support of each of  these people has been invaluable to the View in the last few years and it brings us great pleasure to welcome them aboard!

- Jen, Lani, Keith, and Kelly

View from Valehaven Editorial Staff

Big Changes

By Diana "Kiira" LaPierre

There comes a time in every LARP-based publication's life where the staff make a decision to grow. We here at the View from Valehaven have decided on taking in new editors to help us improve and increase our weekly content. I happen to have the honor of introducing them to you! They are...

From the Editor's Desk: The Year in (Re)View 2016

Well, it was another busy year here at the View from Valehaven!

 The beginning of 2016 found us formally saying good-bye to our beloved, long-time "boss lady" and editor-in-chief Angie "Phoenix" Gray as she stepped down from her role to pursue other interests in both Realms and the mundane world, even as we gained the pen of Diana "Kiira" LaPierre, who joined our editorial team in February. We were also pleased to have the opportunity to add three people to our core contributer staff: Ethan "Jean-Baptiste" Goldman, Ryan "Orion" Welch, and Britny "Tarja/Kamilla" Fowler. These four people have been invaluable to the View in helping us to adapt, grow, and change throughout the course of this past year.

2016 also saw the return of a few of our more popular features, including a second season of the comic "An Atypical View" by the always satirical Silent Scribbler, and new burning questions helpfully answered by our resident agony aunt Syruss through his forum "Ask Syruss."

We also saw the debut of the new series "I Can't Even...," in which Sara "Zarine" Jessop shares her vast quantities of knowledge on fashion, social rules, and other relevant topics pertaining to life in the Realms in witty weekly treatises. Other new features for this year included another comic, "Arc Sphere Distortions" by Steve "Therian" Matulewicz; more advice, dispensed this time by Tanner "Illumier-Soft" Wilson (often in tandem with Syruss); and "Choose Our Own Adventure," an ongoing serial short story written by Jason "Aeston" Rosa wherein readers get to pick from four different options the direction in which the next chapter of the story will go.

In all, we published over 300 pieces this year, including the regular features Why I Want To Go, What You Missed, and a few installments of 10 Questions, as well as editorials, opinion pieces, and a variety of other articles and posts written by members of the greater Realms community.  Average pageviews were over 5,500 per month! Not too shabby!

As things changed at the View, so too did they change in our game and our community. This year saw the loss of two of our beloved community members,  Buddy "Brighthammer/ Arg" Wolfhope and Bob Hinkle, as well as the birth of no less than four future new junior adventurers. It also saw the end of Green and Gold, a long-running cornerstone tournament of the yearly eventing calendar which pitted newer players against veteran players.

But this year brought many good things, too - numerous knightings, events thrown by new event-holder teams, and and plenty of opportunities to talk, laugh, eat, fight, and quest with our friends.  And we were privileged to witness our community come together on numerous occasions to donate time and effort and raise money both in memory of and for the benefit of members of our community and beyond.

2016 was indeed a good year, and here's to hoping for big things out of 2017!

In closing, the staff of the View would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who contributed to the View this year! This publication is run as a service and a forum for the Realms community and would not exist without the support of that community, and we are grateful to all of our contributers. As always, we are looking for submissions for the coming year, so if you were thinking about writing something for us this year but didn't get around to it, make it a resolution for 2017. =)

Here's a look back at the ten most popular posts this year in terms of pageviews:

1) In Tribute and Loving Memory of Buddy Wolfhope
2) An Atypical View: Season Two #38
3) An Atypical View: Season Two #42
4) Live Action Reaction Players
5)  To Tabard or Not To Tabard
6) An Atypical View: Season Two #43
7) An Atypical View: Season Two #39
8) Introducing the Arbitration Committee
9) Queen's War: You're Doing it Wrong
10) An Atypical View: Season Two #23


 Looking back at "10 Question" interviews and "Fresh Faces":

•  Joseph "Saito" Bonkai
• Craig "Bohis" Nosetti 
• Steve "Torolf/Red" Nelson 
• Adam "Damion" Landry 
• Pi "Kwido Sedna" Fisher 
• Sara "Zarine" Jessop 
• Robert "Mullet" Hopkins 
• Brian "Crispin" Rubenstein 
• Eric "Rudy" Marques 
• Emily "Kara Akiak" Murphy 
• Rob "Morkeleb the Red/ Alder Ragnarson" Nolan 
•  Noah "Eoin" Greenleaf (Fresh Faces)

Debut of our new series, a continuation on 10 Questions aptly titled "10 More Questions":

• Cory "Asharn Starchaser" Roy
• Ethan "Drike" Burek
• Alysha "Kyntela" Metcalf

Shameless plug: we are looking to continue with 10 More Questions in 2017! Have you already done a 10 Questions interview? That's ok! Since it's 10 *More* Questions, they're totally different and you're free to answer these questions too! If you would like to participate in 10 More Questions this year, email me at areni.daru@gmail.com!

From the Editor's Desk: View Award Voting

     The Town of Ludlow, Massachusetts(my hometown) is well known as being a soccer town. It is a town of mostly descendants of Western European countries, namely Portuguese, Italian, French, with some Polish and Ukrainian immigrants. What does this have to do with anything, you might ask? Well, let's just say that soccer was the #1 pastime in town, and if you were good at it, you were part of the "in" crowd. Being very coordinated and athletic, I made it onto a "Maple League" team, which was an advanced team for my age group, where we traveled to distant areas to play.  I played soccer until around 6th grade.

 

     During my illustrious soccer career, I had so many "friends" and I guess I could have been considered popular. I got invited to lots of birthday parties and over to friend's houses. As I grew older, however, I found that I had less and less in common with these girls. I had always enjoyed video games, action figures, Legos, and playing all sports, not just soccer. There came a turning point where I chose my friends not by the team I was playing on, but by our common interests. Eventually, I chose to be around people who were less dramatic and better individuals, in my opinion.

 

     Needless to say, I rapidly dropped from popularity, but I was charismatic, so I always had lots of friends. But those kids that were formerly my friends created their cliques, mocking anyone who they deemed unfit to be graced by their presence. I stuck mostly with hanging out with boys, eventually becoming a regular at the comic shop in town. 

 

     I'm not looking for sympathy-- on the contrary, in fact-- I feel like I was lucky to have such amazing people in my life and I was so lucky to find them at such a vulnerable age for so many. I assume that a lot of the community has a similar story to mine. Maybe you were a "nerd" or "dork" and were placed into a social caste or high school hierarchy. Life may have been fine, or maybe it was torment. Either way, most of us are beyond High School now. Yet, have we moved beyond the prejudices that we once were the subjects of?

 

     I've seen it in the Realms today. There are cliques formed, either by nation, organization, schools, or even location, which causes this prejudice and groupthink that plagues the game. I am, by no means, beyond that kind of thought, although I'd like to think I try very hard to judge people on their merits and shortcomings, and not by preconceived notions passed among my friends. There are "stick jocks", "paste eaters", and what-have-you. It's not so much different then high school, except that now we are all at least some kind of nerd, otherwise we would most likely not be LARPing at all. 

 

     I'm not passing judgement on anyone, merely pointing out what I have observed in over a decade of playing Realms. If people want to stay within their circles of similar play style people, that is your right and prerogative. When looking through your own windows, think about your perspective versus the rest of the game. Look critically at opinions of others and those of the people you choose to surround yourself with. 

 

     With the View awards upon us, I want you to really consider who you are voting for and why you are voting for them. When you make your decisions, is it based on just your friends, or are you looking at everything? This isn't High School, anymore. We aren't voting for Student Council President or Homecoming King and Queen. We are voting for the people who are putting their time and energy into a community that we all benefit from. Will you vote for your friends because they truly deserve it, or will you vote for them simply because they are your friend or nation member? 

 

     It is so easy to stay within your own comfort zones, never looking past your own perspective. I can see how it seems, year in and year out, a lot of the awards can look like a popularity contest. Maybe you are someone who looks critically at them, and perhaps your not. No one is going to know who you voted for unless you tell them. You can vote for whomever you want. But maybe, just maybe, we should give the awards to those who deserve it so they will keep contributing to our fun and enjoyment as a community-- although, that may be just as crazy of a fantasy as the lands of the Realms are themselves. 

From the Editor's Desk: On the Subject of Event Reviews

 From the desk of Jennifer DeNardis-Rosa (Areni):

One of the most important aspects of our game is how players interact with events - after all, the game only exists because people throw events in the first place. Without events, what would we have to occupy our weekends? Laundry? No thanks!

When throwing an event, our hope is always that the players who show up are able to engage with the story, mechanics, puzzles, and overall content for the full duration of the event and that by doing so they are able to enjoy themselves and have a fun day. Beyond that, we hope that those players would be open to coming to more events from that particular team because they genuinely were entertained and impressed. It would stand to reason then: if there was a way to make all events more enjoyable then more people would want to go to them and it would have a large positive impact on the game as a whole.

Isn’t it lucky that such a method already exists?

While throwing and attending events is what makes our game exist, something that has the potential to make every event as good as possible exists alongside them. That something is feedback.

Feedback can take many forms, but the most common and most easily accessible is the event review. Event-holding teams don't want to throw events that players won't or didn't like, or that people don't or won't want to go to in the future. That’s the main reason that feedback is so important. An event review is a critical tool for EHs as it allows them an important window to how players felt about the story, mechanics, food - every aspect of the event that they interacted with. Reading event reviews and altering future events because of them is vital to EH teams improving upon their past work, and raising the level of all events throughout the game.

Yet as important as reviews are, taking a look at the event archive on RealmsNET, one can see that some events get a handful of reviews while some get very few; some even get none at all.

Let's explore some possible barriers to leaving event reviews/ feedback.


1) "I don't want the EH to get upset with me if I say that I didn't like something about the event."

Don't think of feedback or reviews in terms of good or bad. If there was an aspect to the event that you did not like or enjoy, or that you thought could have been done better, you should be honest about it - the event staff would much rather that you said something so that they could take it under consideration for the next time they throw an event. EHs want to know what the players did and did not enjoy. But while you are being honest, you must also remember to be considerate. Think in terms of constructive criticism, rather than negative feedback, and make sure that your words are kind. Think about how you would want to be told, if it was your event, and go from there. If you really can’t bring yourself to say anything negative, then its okay to just highlight the positive things that you did enjoy and that were done well. That way the EH is more likely to include those aspects in the future.


2) "The event was fine, I liked it, I really don't have much more to say."

If you had an overall good time at an event, or really liked a certain aspect or mechanic that the EH/ staff was using, then tell them! People want to hear when they are doing well, too! EHs and staff often put a lot of time, money, and thought into planning, prepping for, and throwing their events, and it is gratifying to hear that people enjoyed those efforts. Sometimes, the absence of feedback can be misconstrued or misinterpreted as negative feedback where none was actually intended, or mistaken for general ambivalence on the part of the players. "Well, no one said anything, so they must not have liked it." That is why feedback and event reviews are so important, even if you only write a few lines saying something such as: "I liked this event, and the widget puzzle was really cool." It can give the EH/ event staff the boost they might need to consider throwing an event again, and helps them to feel that their efforts were appreciated. If no feedback or reviews are received, whether positive or constructive, they may not be willing to try again - especially newer EH/ staff groups. (It is important to note here that the opposite can also be true - lack of feedback can also be taken as a sign that people liked the content that was provided to them. But wouldn't it be better to know for certain?)


3) “I’ll give feedback if they ask in person but I really don’t like to offer unwelcome advice.”

Thank you for being well intentioned to give feedback when asked, but please remember that in the wake of an event it can be hard for an EH team to go back to every person who played and solicit their feedback. The event review system is there so they don’t have to. Think of the review system as a preemptive “asking for feedback” that every event holder does every time they throw an event. Advice is always welcome. When people throw an event they are doing it for you. They are doing it to give back to the game and make their players happy. They want to know if you were happy because that was their goal in the first place.

So what can you do? We have all been guilty of meaning to write a review but never quite getting around to it. Here’s a simple solution - set a small goal and build from there. Make a resolution to review the next event that you attend, and stick to it. When that’s done, set another goal - review every other event you attend, maybe. That way you don’t feel pressured to write something for every single event you attend, but you’ll still be able to contribute what you can to some of them.

A lot of event reviews are written as long narrative paragraphs explaining whole sections of an event. Sometimes when players look at those and the obvious time put into crafting them, it’s easy to think that you just don’t have that much time. That’s okay. Writing something short and to the point is also a perfectly good event review format. Some players have taken to making a pro-con list, short and to the point. That’s a great format too. But if you’re really having trouble getting started, copy and paste the sentence starters below into your review and just complete as many of them as you feel you are able to. It’s okay if you don’t write a lot, just make sure your voice is heard!

One aspect of this event that I really enjoyed was:

One thing at this event that I would like to see back next year is:

The part of the event when I felt most engaged was:

One aspect of this event that was very innovative was:

One thing that might be considered for revision for next year is:

And that’s all there is to it! Four or five sentences and you are done. It will only take you a few moments and the impact on future events from that team will be immesureable.

Again, always make sure to think in terms of constructive criticism rather than negative feedback, and always try to include suggestions for improvement if you have any. Always try to balance constructive criticism with positive statements as well. If there were certain things you really liked, make a point of mentioning them. Try to be as specific as you can, but even if you just make general statements regarding the event, it’s better for EH/staff to hear from players than not. Event reviews benefit everyone in the game, not just the event staff they are directed towards - by encouraging/ making suggestions and acknowledging the time and effort put in by EH groups, they help us to continually strive for improvement in our events which in turn can help elevate the content and quality of events, and therefore the game itself. 

So what are you waiting for? Review the next event you attend!

 [Editor's Note: do you have something to say on this or another game-related topic? The View welcomes editorial/opinion pieces from the community; send all submissions to any View editor: Jen, Diana, Alex, or Kelly]

Live Action Reaction Players

 From the Editors Desk

Alex "Lucas" Newbold

Realms isn't Live Action Role Playing, it is Live Action, Reaction Participating.  Now before you go and correct my grammar and bicker over my choice in words, hear me out.  Or rather, read on...

The Realms, is unlike most Larps.  Some say it is because we are more Fighting System based than anything else, which I believe we are not.  We are a streamlined combat and spell system, designed to not upset the flow of combat and a scene.  Very little math is involved (armor 2), thrown spell attacks are the same predictable thing, with the same predictable game mechanic call to it.

From the Desk of Diana

From the Editors Desk: Thoughts on What Have You Done?

By Diana “Sir Kiira” LaPierre

Diana's pencil, not to actual size

There has been a recent trend in the Realms Community of players, especially veteran players, complaining about the decline of the game and community. Some have described this in terms of event attendance, event quality, new player influxes, or what-have-you. I would have to tend to agree with them.  They say they are finding it harder and harder to attend events and staff at them. However, might I ask a simple question that should be on the forefront of everyone’s mind?

What have YOU done to reverse the declination of the game?

Event attendance is a prime example.  You cannot complain about attendance and not show up.  It’s hypocritical and wrong. I understand not wanting to go to certain types of events, and I get it. I, personally, love all event types.

The socialization that happens at feast, when I am in and out of the kitchen, is simply entertaining. Whether there’s atmosphere provided or not, I can spend hours just talking with my friends. Tournaments, group or individual, provide ample time to improve my martial skill, and still fraternize with people. It provides a bar that you can keep pushing yourself toward and beyond. That leaves us with questing, which let’s our imaginations soar into new worlds of exploration and adventure. We live and act through a story that someone else is setting up for us.

So, you don’t like tournaments? It’s a good thing there are two other types of events for you to attend. Same goes for Feasts and Quests. Most of the time, however, the event types melt into one another, and though an event may be a Tournament, it’ll have shrunken down feasts, or in-character quests or scavenger hunts. You could even offer to help the event holder with new tournaments, bring a food to sell or another type of shop, or offer to provide questing content to those who may not want to participate in tournaments.

This leads into Event Quality. Be it inedible foods, lack of NPCs or quality NPCs, poorly run plotlines, bad marshalling, poorly run tournaments.  All of these are things that people complain about, even me. However, have you offered the staff your comments, either in person or online about the quality, or have you just stayed in your little protective bubble and complain instead to only your friends?

I understand not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings, but constructive criticism is a NORMAL PART OF ADULT LIFE. If you can’t tolerate someone telling you that something you created sucked, then you clearly have never made clown pants like I have. If you are not doing it to spare someone’s feelings and would simply like to mock them behind their backs, then you are the problem, not the solution to it.

On the flip side, maybe you have spoken with the Event Holder, and they choose to ignore your helpful suggestions. That is another problem that is creating a dwindling event quality, lack of utilizing what the community is telling us they want and don’t want. Some people believe that their way is the only possible one and are unable to step away from their own awesomeness and see things from others’ perspectives.

If you are able, you can offer to help at their next event; whether you NPC, help cook or do dishes, or offer to help organize event running, and even making props.  All of these things are something you can do to help a struggling event holder, and there is something on that list that everyone can do. That is a way to improve areas of the game you may feel are lacking.

When that time of year comes around to vote for THE VIEW FROM VALEHAVEN AWARDS, don’t just vote for your friends because they’re your friends. Vote for people who really deserve the credit. If someone losses something that they had every right to win, it could dishearten them and create a bitterness which will take away from the future quality of the game.

As far as new players joining, have you attempted to recruit people? Are you running practices in spaces open to the public, telling friends and co-workers about Realms, or helping at Universities and Colleges which hold practices?

 I recently wrote an article that anyone can follow along to and help bring an influx of new players to the game. Have you read it? More importantly, have you contributed to our View from Valehaven Blog? Or will you just continue to complain about its lack of content and thought provoking articles and continue to not suggest articles to be written or what you like to see?

In my work as a preschool teacher, I see small children (ages 2-5) playing in Dramatic Play, mimicking the world around them: bringing into school what they see at home. When it’s a positive environment, the kids are warm and nurturing. When it’s a negative environment, there’s violence and authoritarianism. Maybe now is a time in the Realms where the real world is bleeding into our pretend one.  We see terrible things through the media and in our places of employment that have soured our lives, and it’s overwhelming. We do our best to bring warmth and love into our lives and that of our loved ones. We attempt to drown out the negative and fill it with the positive.

I ask that every time you think of something that bothers you in the Realms, think of figuring out a way to change it for the better. We can have a significant impact on our LARPing community and our game in a way that could really improve it for the better.  There is something that everyone can do make the Realms a better LARP.  I know that is not on the forefront of everyone’s mind all the time, but if you haven’t done anything recently to improve it, I don’t want to hear you complain, ‘cause, frankly, I don’t give a damn.

In the great almost words of President John F. Kennedy, Jr., “My fellow [Realmsies], ask not what your [LARP] can do for you, ask what you can do for your [LARP].”

From the Editor's Desk: On Garbing for Tournament Events

Immersion is a big part of the role-playing experience. Over the past year or so especially, I feel like people have been asking each other: “How do we achieve better immersion?” There are a lot of answers to that question, but I think one of the easiest ways is through garb - how we look is a major contributor to an engaging game environment.

The Realms already sees a wide variety of great garb at many events. The dresses, fancy hats, furs, bodices, jerkins, tunics and other fashions all help to contribute to an atmosphere that makes us feel as if we are "somewhere else." Good garb grabs one's attention and holds one's interest. The Order of the Peacock, by acknowledging people with good garb and promoting good garbing practices in general,  has played a large role in this, as has the "No Jeans" initiative and other similar service-based programs. Everyone is doing a great job at feasts and other social-type events - I don’t think the garb has ever been better. But the way that our game is designed, and the way combat has evolved, can sometimes make it difficult to garb for tournament events.

North/South War is only a few days away, asking us to try and elevate our garb choices for the day, and throughout the summer season there are an array of other tournament events as well. With our community doing better than ever garbing up for fancy occasions, maybe this is a great year for us to focus on garbing up for competitive tournament situations as well.

Tournaments tend to see a lot of clothing options like gym or basketball  shorts, athletic wear such as Under Armor, tank tops and T-shirts with mundane logos or other such pictures on them, and even some denim or cargo-type shorts from time to time. While these items are often chosen for several different reasons - convenience, breathability, freedom of movement, safety, etc - they can all have the unintended effect of sometimes reducing the immersion of the tournament. While the idea of obtaining good garb can sometimes feel insurmountable, especially for younger players, it doesn't have to be. If you don't want to spend a lot on tourney garb or don't want to wait until the next ren faire to buy clothing, here are a few simple suggestions that you might find helpful if you want to create an immersive look while you fight:

- Shirts: wear a breathable cotton tunic (T-tunic or other type of style) under your armor. These are sold by most of the vendors in the Realms so they are typically both accessible and affordable, and they are usually  short-sleeved so you don't have to worry about extra bulk under your maille, or loose bits of clothing that might be a disadvantage in combat.. As a bonus, if a vendor does not currently have the color you want, you can usually commission him or her to make it for you. A cheap and quick garb option would be to cut up an old plain t-shirt so there are no sleeves and to cut off the neckline as well. 

- Gloves: as a option other than sports gloves like football or rugby gloves or gloves with large logos on them, look for a pair of nice leather biker gloves with grip on the palms and/ or fingers, and a bit of a gauntlet that extends over the wrists. You can often find a very nice pair of these for around $20 to $30. These will adequately protect your fingers and knuckles, and can look really neat and in-character as well.

- Bottoms: The summer eventing season is hot, so I don’t think that gym or "basketball" shorts or athletic pants are totally off-limits. Sometimes they just make the most sense for comfort, and to reduce the chances of a fighter overheating. When in doubt, you can never go wrong with basic black, or another solid color. Just keep this basic rule in mind: does it have a large and/or recognizable logo or other easily identifiable type of marking or pattern? If so, keep looking. Generic brands of clothing sold at department stores often have no logo, or very small logos that you can cover up. Vendors may also have shorts or pants for sale as well, although these are less common, and many people use wrap pants as a good balance between breathability and style. Kilts are also becoming more and more popular, and there are places online to buy “combat” or “utility” kilts for as cheap as $30 or so. Women, you also can't go wrong with capri-style pants.

- Tabard and Belt: a large number of individuals in the Realms are in nations and therefore have some kind of tabard with their nation’s heraldry. Tabards are a very period piece of garb for fighting, since their main purpose was to identify allies in combat. If you aren’t in a nation yet you might not have a heraldic tabard, but you should consider making yourself one with your own personal heraldry or even in a solid color. Since tabards are generally worn over the armor, they add a very distinct look that is very in-character. If all you have for tournament garb is armor and a tabard, you’re off to a very good start!

- Hats: most of the time, you will not be able to wear any type of covering under your head armor save a bandana (which also look perfectly in-character) and that's ok; however, when you are not wearing your head armor and are looking for a little sun protection, please try to stay clear of baseball caps - even basic or solid-colored ones. Instead, try to look for a sunhat made of cotton or other breathable material in a solid or unobtrusive color. There are many styles of brimmed hats that look great, and are widely available online.

- Footwear and protective gear: I can’t stress this enough. Safety is the most important thing. Kneepads might not look in-character, but they are considered appropriate at all times. Please wear them. Some people have a nice sturdy pair of boots for fighting, such as combat boots or motorcycle boots, so look into those options if you are in the market for something new, but safe and reliable footwear like sneakers are an area where functionality is much more important than looks. 

And there you have a few very simple suggestions on how to make combat or tournament garb more period and immersive as we head into the summer season. This is by no means an exhaustive or inclusive list, and there are many other players much more knowledgeable about garb that have made other great suggestions as well. Diana recently published a fantastic article on this topic (see it here) which gives some sage advice including the suggestion on T-shirts mentioned above, so be sure to read it one more time today. If others have suggestions or comments on how they have tried to make tournament garb more immersive, please let us know below - let’s work together to elevate this aspect of immersion in our community!

- Jennifer DeNardis-Rosa

On the Subject of Combat Garb by Diana "Kiira" LaPierre

Although we can all definitely agree that it takes a special kind of person to LARP, we, as a community, have a variety of play styles and interests in the game. Whether you enjoy the role-playing aspects, creativity and crafting, combat tournaments, feasting, questing, social interactions, or any combinations of the above, you are playing because you enjoy it. There are ways, no matter your play style, that you can contribute to not only your experience but also the experience of those around you.

Today, specifically, I'm going to discuss the role of garb in combat. I'm the first person to agree with some by saying garb can be a hindrance to combat. Puffy sleeves make larger, balloon-like targets. Wrap pants can get tangled and cause trips and falls. Billowing cloaks hinder movement and create large areas. Needless to say, it causes a lot of problems. 

So, at what point is it an acceptable sacrifice for immersion to wear items that are not immersive? I think we can all agree that footwear during combat and questing could be considered an acceptable sacrifice. Physical safety is very important. Ensuring that everyone has proper foot and ankle support, weather-proofing, traction, etc., seems only logical. Are there options out there that could fit both immersion and practicality? Yes. Are they always cost effective? Maybe not so much for a good portion of our game or a more casual player. 

What about combat clothing? There was, and perhaps is, a trend where wearing athletic clothing which wasn't exactly "immersive" was (is) perfectly acceptable. Whether it's the Nike Swoosh on your shirt or your Under Armor symbol showing. You can get away with wearing Under Armor, because you're covered in chain and it still works thematically. But in a situation where you are wearing just ADIDAS striped shorts and a nationally colored athletic shirt with your tabard and a braided belt over it, with no armor covering it, it leaves a bit much for the imagination to make up. Could there be better options?

It's hard to say for sure. Firstly, Under Armor feels amazing. It's moisture-wicking. It keeps your body cooler. It prevents sun burns. I mean, let's be real here; technology, while being much more primitive in the theme we are presenting, is advancing for our benefit. There are reasons that we use new materials now. They work. 

The thing with our game is that it is not based on historical events or times. We have had events with aliens, guns, super heroes, and other non-medieval things. So, saying materials must be linen, cotton, or wool seems a bit extreme. Also, styles were vastly different. Men wore kilts or skirts in some areas of the world, and in others they wore tights. Does that mean we have to wear things only worn before 1700? I don't think so. I think we can make sure that our clothes are thematically appropriate by finding materials and styles that can mesh well in the overall setting. You should probably avoid overly modern items such as zippers, athletic clothing symbols, baseball caps, etc. However, if you'll be more comfortable in a pair of shorts than a kilt (not bashing them, but they aren't for everyone), get a basic pair of cotton shorts with no logos, or commission someone to make you some which will go well with your other garb. Same can be said for sleeveless shirts. Just cutting off collars on modern clothes and cutting a small line down the center(see keyhole neckline) can do a lot for making it feel more medieval. 

As for materials, there are so many options out there to choose from. I like to use a cotton looking material that's used in leotards for a lot of my combat garb. It is breathable and believable in a fantasy setting, especially when not being worn under armor. 

Bottom line is, you can keep costs down and still look the part of a peasant or knight with simple steps. Remember, it's about fun for everyone, not just yourself. Before walking out onto that tournament field or that path of adventure, ask yourself one question: do I look like I could be a model for Larp Life Magazine (TM) or do I look like a Dick's Sporting Goods advertisement?

 

[Editor's note: click  here for a YouTube video on how to make easy and cheap faire garb]

How to Backup a Title

How to Backup a Title
Written by Steven Matulewicz

One of the most prominent concerns that has been brought to me in the past few years is the feeling that  “titles don’t mean anything”  or that titles should mean more than they do right now.  That while we have advanced in some ways in our game, there is a level of meaning that seems to have been lost, or been only hinted at in the past.  In this article, I am going to outline my opinion on methods of backing up titles.

Having a title can do several things.  It can show rank and level within a society/ group.  It can show position, as in what office or job you have within a group.  It can show achievement: you have accomplished many tasks or done great deeds.  It can show the level of skill you have mastered.  But there is a more intangible element to titles, an affirmation not only by the community as a whole but for it.  That the community itself knows it is both advancing and deepening.  To be bestowed a title is about that person.  But to hold a title, to truly become the title, that ceases to be about the person and is more about the community.  It becomes something more than the person.  Not every group needs titles.  And that is of course the choice of that group.  However a group with titles, and well “backed up” titles, can add much to their own group and to the Realms as a whole.
So what does it really mean to back up a title?  From the Omnibus:

The Social Structure
The Realms is not governed by a single kingdom. Each nation has its own hierarchy and structure. There are no hard rules for governing the social structure. Claiming land and titles is anyone's prerogative. The social structure really only has one rule: if you can back up your title or claim then you deserve to hold it. If you can't, then you should have nothing to complain about if you get put in your place.

That is all fine and good, but what does it mean to back it up?  Way back in the late 1980s and early 90s, Shannon Slate put forth a set of guidelines on how an in- game social structure could work.  Those ideas never truly caught hold, but the essence of how to back up a title was captured in that article.  What the different levels and structures were is not as important as the How.

Thoughts on the 2016 Event Holder's Meeting-

I’d like to provide more information and context in relation to the EHC’s decision to bypass customary process and put the arbitration committee in place without an active proposal.  As has been mentioned in the Realms group on facebook many times, it was a unanimous decision made by all Event Holders present because the feeling in the room was that it was an immediate NEED.

The questions that then come to mind for me are, : “why did they feel it was an immediate need?” and, “why did we feel we had the right to bypass the typical process even if there was an immediate need?”

In the administrative portion of the meeting we were talking about cheating charges. To be clear, we weren’t talking about things like rhino-hiding or making an unsafe weapon, we were talking about “acts that would be considered unlawful in the real world”.  Things that jeopardize player’s safety and that could increase Event Holder’s potential liability. In my mind it was important that we were taking appropriate action on these items promptly because if our players couldn’t feel confident in our ability and willingness to do so, it would be more likely to lead to outside law enforcement being involved in these issues or someone getting seriously hurt.  It wasn’t until the conversation was occurring that the ridiculousness of it being handled once a year in that setting was acknowledged by all.

A question has been asked on why if it was so important wasn’t there a prior proposal made in advance.  Frankly I think a lot of people would have said it was a good idea, but didn’t have faith that the room as a whole would see it that way. Consider it like not bothering to nominate a candidate you think is unelectable.

So, once we decided there was a need why did we feel we could do it?  I can’t speak for others, but in my mind it was a change that had minimal impact on players. We weren’t changing what was/wasn’t legal or the potential consequences for breaking rules. We were only changing the way it is  administratively  handled.  Historically the administrative section of the meeting hasn’t required formal proposals and has allowed for more flexibility in how it has run.  While we’ve moved toward more structure in that area, I’ve perceived it as a courtesy not a requirement.

On a historical note, we have bypassed procedure before. Prior to a proposal that we talk about grandfathering every year, there was a year where it wasn’t proposed but due to changes in the omnibus it was obviously needed.  At that point the EHC decided doing something that everyone present agreed was necessary was more important than following the letter of the rules. I believe the time it was phrased as “we had an obligation to”.  There was absolutely no push back or questioning of that decision.

I do think some mistakes were made. First I think that the majority of Event Holders have consistently felt that if something was a strong enough need, we as a body did have the right to override the established practice.  We should have incorporated that into the rules prior to this.

Second, I think we were on a high (and also a little loopy).  We met for 11 hours. Most of us drove at least another 2 that day. We took minimal breaks. We finally came to a consensus on something that we felt was significant and meaningful. It was like not just learning that the candidate you thought was unelectable not only might be, but actually having them elected.  We were excited and proud.

Perhaps if we weren’t, we would have given more consideration to the question of how those outside the room would view it and how to best present it to mitigate that (perhaps we shouldn’t have 11 hour meetings once a year to decide things, but that is a bigger question).  I think we should have started off by saying we understood that we didn’t follow procedure and were sorry that player’s weren’t able to give feedback.  We should have made it clear that it wasn’t done lightly and is not something we anticipate needing to do regularly.

I am also concerned about the marginalizing of complaints of the community members who weren’t at the meeting. I have the unique position of being part of the Senior Leadership for a democratically run company (we win awards and stuff, it’s a pretty cool place). It has taken me many years to learn that if you want an organization where people step up and contribute their time and energy, you have to minimally be willing to let them have a voice and share their opinions and engage in a constructive dialog with them—even when they are expressing their opinions in a way you find unproductive. If you don’t they become disenfranchised, checked out, and stop contributing.  We need contributors. We need people to care.

I’ve also learned that it is dangerous to make assumptions that if there are a few voices there are few opinions.  I’ve heard people say it is a small group of people that are bothered. I do think it is a minority, but I know there are more people that have concerns than are saying it publicly.  I’ve heard it written off to politics and who likes and supports who, and I acknowledge that it is easier for people to critique people they don’t like/get along with. That said, I suspect that while there are possibly people who are being extra critical due to personal feelings related to those involved, there  are likely others who have concerns but  aren’t expressing them out of respect  

The reality is the Event Holder’s Council created expectations from players that they would have an opportunity to give input that we then didn’t meet, questions and even frustrations are logical.  In the same way, those expressing opinions about the decisions, need to understand that Event Holders who are feeling insulted and disappointed have a right to those feelings as well.

At the end of the day I, personally, am proud of the Event Holders for putting the arbitration committee in place. Think about what it means- As a player you get the confidence of knowing that problems will be addressed promptly and efficiently. As an event holder you know you’ll get support in taking care of issues promptly. That is a BIG deal!!

 I am also proud of players for caring enough to express their feelings. I hope that the conversation soon moves from expressions of anger to constructive dialog, and I hope those on both sides of the discussion continue to remember how much we all care about and contribute to our community, we have people that do it differently than we would, but in general we’re all doing the best we can with the tools we have, and we all deserve to get treated with respect.

- Angela Gray



Good afternoon, everyone.

I've been a Realms event holder every year since 1999. It's not the longest run in that room, but it's close. Regardless, I have absolutely no standing to speak for the council, no one does. I'm going to, however, go beyond my station and try to do so, because something needs to be said by us. I welcome my fellow event holders who dissent with any part of my opinion to do so, please, in any area where you feel I am not representing your point of view. I'm just one voice among many.

As most of you know, at the recent Event Holders Meeting we heard cheating charges regarding an individual who was involved in what was defined by some as an "assault". It would be improper to go into any specifics about that incident, but suffice it to say the great majority of people there treated the issue with dire seriousness.

As we discussed all sides of the issue in great detail, one of the things that was evident, was discomfort. A good kind of discomfort, though. The kind where you instinctively understand that what is happening is more important than you thought it was going to be. We discussed the circumstances of the cheating charge, but much more as well. We talked passionately about past precedent and future implications, about how to best render this decision for the good of all individuals involved and the good of the community. The arguments from all parties and ensuing discussion took over an hour in which the majority of the room was cast in deafening, grave silence. It wasn't something taken lightly.

There was a thought that developed. Oddly it developed independently in several people but collectively at the same time. The issue we were discussing was bigger than this once incident. We were discussing the implications on life and property, mental and physical health, issues of fear and perception, how our community was going to define itself. It happened organically. This incident of cheating led us to consider much larger issues about how well equipped The Realms is to deal with issues like this one and beyond.

The idea of an "arbitration" group had been brandied about in the past. I had poked around with the idea in the past and other people have too. Let me be clear though, speaking for myself only, I've never had any reasonable expectation that something like that could happen in such a diverse and divisive environment as the EHC. As much as I had thought it was a need, I've dismissed it as a fantasy.

Then, all of a sudden, one individual brought the idea up, rather passionately. I had never spoken to that person before about the idea. To my honest surprise, the idea wasn't immediately rejected by the room as impossible. Shortly thereafter, another individual suggested that the creation of the committee should be part of the action that we take in response to the cheating charges. Again, that suggestion was generally accepted by most of the room. As the conversation continued, it was accepted by all of the room.

I think something special happened at that moment. That diverse and divisive group of people collectively came to the understanding that we had the opportunity to do something that was very important and very necessary. Something that should have been done years ago. Not everyone was comfortable with it, not fully. People knew it was a break from convention. Most did, in any case.

Individuals justified it in different ways, and each person would have to tell you their own way of thinking. Some honestly think that doing so was a normal part of the amendment process - there are no specific guidelines about what amendments are and they change drastically from one year to the next. Some people might have believed that it was fully against established procedure yet thought that the importance of the issue was the greater need. Some people might have believed that the rules do not actually prevent in-meeting proposals and omitting them is a matter of moderator preference. Some people probably believe that the moderators have the power to override procedure as a matter of course. There were about 45 people in that room and I guarantee you would get 45 different answers as to why each individual decided that it was the correct course of action.

I'll pause to insert a personal opinion. Each of those 45 reasons was a valid one. Equally as valid, are all of the voices that are disagreeing. Everyone has a valid perspective here and there is no answer that is objectively correct.

But moving on. As a collective room I think most people were in awe that we had the momentum to make such an important change in that situation. When we cast the first of many votes, the one that would decide if we would go on to create the committee, everyone looked around in awe as they saw it was unanimous assent. That was a very powerful moment. I think, for many of us, it reaffirmed that we were all in that room for a common purpose, and that as much as we argue, sometimes tooth and nail, that the best interests of the Realms was what we all, very deeply, cared about.

What followed were a lot of details about the wording of the text and the selection of the members and I'd be happy to relate it all (in general terms) to those who need me to. But the important part of the story ends there. Again, it was a slow, careful process where each individually was extremely concerned that we were doing everything as correctly as possible. I can't emphasize that enough.

And then, when all is said and done, we had a Facebook conversation about it all. It wasn't the most productive conversation at times, on all sides of the coin, but I agree people needed a forum to express themselves. If anything, I hope that moving forward, people can try to comment in a way that is always respectful of one another and that doesn't lead to being as emotionally charged. Many people did that already, and I thank those who have tried to meter their passion with an appreciation that opposing viewpoints are not wrong viewpoints, just different.

Again this is all just my opinion, and I will leave with a thought that is wholly my own as well. The idea of who is correct and who has the right point of view in this situation won't lead us to a place where everyone can agree. Everyone can't agree. And no one is really "right", in the end, because there is no "right", there are just different perspectives on what is best for us as a community.

For my own part, I think a group of people, acting in good faith and with honorable intentions, did the best they could with what they had. It's not a perfect situation, it's not a perfect outcome. As human beings, we have to work with flaws and imperfections to the best of our ability.

To some of you I seem like an old veteran player, but trust me, compared to many in that room, I am inexperienced and naive, so I probably lack the standing to express this. Nevertheless, I am truly proud that everyone there tried their best and showed one another that they deeply love the Realms and that they deeply care about one another and the community. Expressing it like that, in that moment, was a rare and special thing. I understand the perspective of those of you who can't agree with the decision or the method that came from that meeting, but please, if you can, try to be proud of them too.

- Jason Rosa

Staff Announcement 2016

The View from Valehaven would like to take this opportunity to make the following staff announcements:

Diana "Kiira" LaPierre will be joining our team as part of the editing staff.

In addition, the following people will be joining us as part of our "Core Contributer" staff, helping to produce and procure regular content: Britny "Tarja" Fowler, Ryan "Orion" Welch, Ethan "Jean Baptiste" Goldman and Renee "Mouse" Booke.

Ryan Welch

Britny Fowler

Renee Booke

Ethan Goldman

 

We would also like to note that Callahan "Syruss" Marsden will continue to write his popular "Ask Syruss" column and also contribute content as needed.

We are pleased to bring this group of individuals on board and look forward to showcasing their vision and ideas, producing new content for your reading pleasure, and taking the View in new directions over the coming months. It looks to be an exciting year at the View, stay tuned!

Regards, 

Jen ~ Kelly ~ Alex

From the Editor's Desk- Special Announcement

2014 was a significant year in my 17 year Realms career. One in which I received many accolades, each of which carried with it not just an honor but an obligation.  I became a Knight of the Realms, something which to me is not just recognition of what you’ve done and who you are, but an obligation to continue to contribute to the community at the highest level. 

The challenge was that within nine months of accepting that belt and obligation, my personal focused had shifted.  Karate, working out, building a business, improving our home, and getting to know our new neighbors all competed with the attention I had for game. Being a steward of the Realms and being true to myself often came into conflict.

I’ve continued to do a decent amount for the game. By no means could one say I’m not an active player, in fact I know I’ve maintained being a strong contributor. That said, I’m not meeting my own standards for doing as much as I would like to be for the game, and in particular for the View.

In the past months, one of my joys as I’ve struggled and done less, is seeing Jenn, Alex, and Kelly step up and do more and more with the View, and developing confidence in their ability to take over. 

In time I started to recognize that had I continued with the same level of commitment I had previously, they never would have had that opportunity because while I would have been helping them, I also would have been in their way- perceived as senior, my opinion given more weight. 

Recently a meme made its way around facebook:

You are under no obligation to be the same person you were a year, month, or even 15 minutes ago. You have the right to grow. No apologies.

That meme got me thinking. I also remembered another honor I received last year, being voted Best Role Model, and I started to question and ask myself what I would advise someone I mentored were they in my situation.

I’d tell them that life is meant to be lived passionately. That sometimes you push yourself to do things because you’ve committed, and sometimes you step up because someone has to, but if on a regular basis you are feeling that you are pushing yourself to do something out of obligation, while at the same time not having the time for all the things you could be doing passionately, it is time to move on. It is ok to change.

It is time for me to move on from being a part of the core staff for the View.  You are in good hands.

Post my sharing my decision with the others on staff who were so sweet they made me cry, and tell me I might be kept around in some unofficial capacity.  I was asked if I was leaving the View or the game.  To be very very clear, the Realms is my family- not just Folkestone- all of you. Some are my parents (Dave Dolph <3), others my siblings, some my kids, some cousins, and second cousins, and even some black sheep.  I didn’t know how to be a good friend and family member before I found our community. I’m forever grateful. I’m forever committed.

I’m still making events. I still will be contributing. I still will occasionally help out at the View- you know I couldn’t resist if I tried.  I’m not going to take lead on things for a bit though, unless the passion and drive comes back without me forcing it.

In this case, I’m going to do what in my heart I truly believe is the best thing I can to be a good role model, and graciously step aside to let others step up and get the recognition they’ve truly earned. 

Much love-

Angie